You can’t win ’em all, although the Colorado Avalanche have tried their hardest to do that this season.

The Avalanche played sloppy against the New York Islanders on Thursday night on their way to a 6-3 loss at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. It was their first regulation loss since Oct. 25 in Boston and an overall tough game from the group, which has been dealing with illness for the better part of the last week.

Here are five takeaways from Colorado’s second regulation loss of the season.

The Avalanche played quite poor, so you can’t pin the loss on any one thing, but the opening Islanders goal sure looked like goaltender interference. Marc Gatcomb had his stick lodged in Mackenzie Blackwood’s pad, which hindered the goaltender’s ability to get up and make a save. After a challenge from Jared Bednar, the goal ended up counting, as the league determined Gatcomb was “making a play on the loose puck.” It will likely never be clear what goaltender interference actually is.

Colorado’s offense this season has been tremendous, but the reason they’ve won so many games has really been their team defense. That team defense was nonexistent through 40 minutes, as the Islanders had racked up 32 shots in the first two periods before letting off the gas in the third. The Islanders were credited with 22 scoring chances through two periods.

Blackwood will want that fourth Islanders goal back, as a soft shot from Adam Pelech hit Blackwood’s glove and bounced through his legs and into the net. Scott Wedgwood is currently day-to-day due to a back injury and may play on the trip, but it’s not a guarantee. It would have made sense to pull Blackwood for the third period to rest him for this weekend’s back-to-back games in New York and Philadelphia, but Bednar elected to keep him in net. We’ll see if Wedgewood is good enough to play in one of those two games.

It’s baffling how bad Colorado’s power play is given the amount of talent they possess. They didn’t get many opportunities in this one with the man advantage, but with 12 minutes remaining in the game and a bit of momentum, they were given a power play with Matthew Schaefer in the box. The top unit couldn’t even get into the offensive zone and even gave up a good chance shorthanded to the Islanders. The second unit looked better, but a very poor showing overall when a goal would have cut the lead down to one.

The craziest part about Colorado’s historic start is that it has barely given them a cushion in the Central Division. Dallas is only three points behind the Avalanche in the standings, although Colorado has a game in hand.

Islanders 6, Avalanche 3

What happened: New York got out to a 4-0 lead and never looked back, even if the Avalanche did give them a scare with two down the stretch.

What went right: In just his second game back, Valeri Nichushkin found the back of the net, deflecting a Sam Malinski shot into the net for Colorado’s first goal of the night. He found his way back into the top six by the end of the game, so his stint on the third line was short-lived.

What went wrong: Jack Drury and Brent Burns won’t enjoy the film session tomorrow when the Islanders’ fifth goal is played, as both of them allowed Mathew Barzal to walk right into the slot for an easy power play goal.

Avalanche goal scorers: Nichushkin (6), Necas (14), Lehkonen (10)

Islanders goal scorers: MacLean (1), Lee (6), Horvat (17), Pelech (1), Barzal (8), Cizikas (2)

Between the pipes: A busy night for Blackwood, who stopped 36 of 41 shots.

What’s next: It’s an early one Saturday, as the Avalanche will take on the New York Rangers at 10:30 a.m.